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The touchy situation had been defused Ange could be confrontational but she was not reckless enough to try anything with Machina another witch present

She pulled on Mutsuki’s hand and turned around But

I will say one thing

After sitting down and proving she had no hostile intent Miss B called out to their backs

The biggest reason I returned to Japan was to strengthen our ability to fight back against the angels who caused such severe damage to FeTUS with Metatron

Ange turned back around and briefly gasped at the icy glare coming from the seated girl

The look in Miss B’s eyes was enough to make the strongest angel flinch

I will never forgive the person who destroyed our headquarters set back our research and harmed my teach-harmed Miss A

Remember this

Those final words were cold

Ange tried to snap back but Machina stepped forward first She stood between Ren and Ange to block their clashing gazes

Ange had no choice but to fall back now and any further confrontation was avoided

Metatron Ange had delivered a serious blow to FeTUS

And FeTUS’s strongest knight Miss B had been absent at the time

The angels and FeTUS had an implicitly understood truce but a new bud of discord was growing

Mutsuki had moved to stop the conflict before but he only watched on now

Is this where you wanted to go

Two girls had come to get Mutsuki but they seemed to be taking care of some other work at the same time After leaving the room Ange and Machina split up

Ange returned to the classroom to take the extension request form to Sakae

Machina was putting up the backpack and costumes Mutsuki decided to stick with the one who had the more difficult job so he helped Machina carry the costumes

The costumes would need to go to the drama club’s storeroom but they went to the infirmary first

The bandages on the cast are old so I was told to get new ones

She removed the old and yellowed bandages from the prop cast

Doctor Shiromiya the school doctor was not there but Machina knew where to find the bandages She opened the cabinet above the sink and pulled out some new ones

There were no other students there so Mutsuki sat down on an open bed since he had nothing better to do Then he lay down

He sighed deeply

What’s the matter

As she wrapped the new bandages around the cast Machina realized he wanted her to speak to him He sighed more quietly before answering

Ibekusa you’re here to monitor me aren’t you

I am

A long while back – and in fact in this very room – he had just learned she was part of FeTUS so he had pulled her out of swimming class and asked her about it

The girl tilted her head wondering why he would be asking this now

The boy covered his face with his hands

So you’re the same as Shirohara-senpai

You really see me as ‘the person with the Serpent’s Eye’ and not ‘Fujita Mutsuki’

Machina fell quiet as she realized why he was in such a bad mood

Mutsuki kept his expression hidden

The most unpleasant part of it all was that Shirohara Ren and Ibekusa Machina were both girls he had already had feelings for One was his first love and the other someone he had been developing similar feelings for If he had met them through the Serpent’s Eye as he had with Ange or Lucia he would not have felt this way He never would have met those two if not for the Serpent’s Eye

But he had fallen in love with those two before he knew anything about FeTUS or the Serpent’s Eye so things were different

He felt like someone had rubbed dirt all over his feelings for them

But he could not direct his anger toward anyone in particular He never would have met those two without the Serpent’s Eye any more than he would have Ange or

Lucia The frustration was purely emotional

Whatam I

He had no target for his humiliation and irritation so they came off like bitter complaints

I was born with the Serpent’s Eye so there’s no use complaining about that

But

I feel like I’m not living my own life

He felt ashamed of the words as soon as they left his mouth so he squished his heated cheeks between his hands He felt like an idiot for complaining like this to a girl he had feelings for

But he could not stop himself Even when he held his tongue a sad sigh left his mouth

He had never thought he was this pathetic And that only accelerated the worries filling his chest

That isn’t true

But those worries were soon stopped

The bed creaked and he felt a warm softness on his elbow He looked up from between his fingers and saw Machina sitting next to him and looking down at him

She placed her fingers in his messy hair and gently stroked his head

We did approach you for the Serpent’s Eye That is the truth

But you sometimes betrayed our expectations sometimes betrayed the angels’ and sometimes betrayed the demons’ That is what created the current situation That is undeniably your accomplishment Fujita not the Serpent’s Eye’s If anyone but you had the Serpent’s Eye then at the very least we in FeTus would have already been destroyed

He sensed no ulterior motive behind her comforting words The girl simply spoke the truth and he felt like his eyes had been opened

And Ido not like hearing you say that Machina closed her eyes a little

Because our lives belong to you

The boy finally realized just how insensitive his words had been so he quickly straightened up

He had claimed to not be living his own life but it was they who were not living their own lives

They were using their school life to monitor the boy with the Serpent’s Eye That was true of Machina Shirohara Ren Katsue-sensei Ange Micha and Lucia

Just how many people were supporting this peaceful life of his He thought his cheeks would burst into flames as he thought back on his ignorant complaints from just a few minutes earlier

Luckily his bright red face was hidden

Hwah

Machina hugged the boy after he straightened up

She buried his face in the chest of the gym clothes with her name written on them

Her cleavage was deep so the confused boy’s entire face was out of view

The girl then mussed his hair that was now below her chin

Ahp W-well what

Kurikara really likes when I do this to her head What about you Fujita

She rubbed his head with a gentle hand

He realized he had often seen Machina brushing Saya’s hair at the other girl’s request in the few days since the opening ceremony This seemed to be similar

Mutsuki was unsure how to answer her question

Her slender and somewhat chilly fingers rubbed his scalp through his hair

Even the inside of his head felt nice so he could see why Saya kept asking for it

And with his face firmly planted between her soft breasts each breath tickled his nose with the sweet scent of a girl

His head and face felt good

Relax

She was treating him like a baby This was not something he wanted the girl he liked to do to him so he tried to resist

But his body relaxed against his will

The taciturn and expressionless girl’s fingertips were as gentle as a mother cat grooming her kitten

As the bell rang signaling the end of the final homeroom their bodies were pressed together

Mutsuki’s mind was fuzzy Shirohara Ren the Serpent’s Eye and everything else seemed to melt away like he was dreaming

He could only think about indulging in Machina

Mutsuki was the first to notice something was not right

As he rubbed his face against her breasts hard enough that his nose reached the bottom of the valley he heard a wet sound from a strange place

From the peak of the two small mountains

He looked up and noticed two slight stains on the nametag pressed tightly against the mounds He tried touching them

The girl’s back trembled

Instead of the softness of her breasts he felt the intense springiness of her nipples below the stains

He furthered his investigation by pinching those tips